Jurchen people

The Jurchen (also Jurchen / Dschürdschen or Jučen, Jurčen; Chinese女 眞/女真, Pinyin Nǚzhēn ( today's reading); older and actual reading: Rǔzhēn ) were a Tungusic people in the eastern Manchuria and the ancestors of the Manchu ( the Manchu name was adopted in the 17th century). Their language was an ancient form of the Manchu language. A copy of the Jurchen was developed out of the Kitan.

The Jurchen probably went out of Siberian hunters who were sinicized by contact with the Chinese resident in the eastern Manchuria over time. They were first mentioned in 1069. 1115 could be the chieftain Aguda crowned emperor and founded the Jin Dynasty; in the following years to 1125 overthrew the then northern China this ruling Liao Dynasty who also originated from Manchuria Kitan. After several campaigns against Manchuria in 1142 the empire reached its greatest extent. During the Mongol invasion of the early 13th century the kingdom was conquered in 1234 by the Mongols under Ögedei Khan.

During the Ming dynasty, which ended the Mongol rule, the Jurchen lived as hunters and, increasingly, as farmers; they came mainly through trade with ginseng to prosperity. The Chinese distinguished at this time three groups of Jurchens: the "wild Jurchen " from northern Manchuria and south of it living " Haixi Jurchen - " and " Jianzhou Jurchen - ". The tribal leader Nurhaci united end of the 16th century, first the Jianzhou Jurchen - and finally it to the other Jurchen tribes; In 1616 he had himself crowned emperor and founded the Qing Dynasty. From 1618 on he started with attacks against North China; after his death in 1626, his son Huang Taiji his successor, called the Jurchen in 1635 officially by " Manchu " replaced.